Graphic of the week: Food insecurity in Ohio

September is Hunger Action Month and new data analysis from HPIO shows that nearly 30% of Black Ohioans and one in four Latino Ohioans were food insecure in 2022.
 
Access to healthy food is a major contributor to overall health. Factors like discrimination and poverty can cause barriers to opportunity, such as an inability to access healthy food.
 
Data from Feeding America found that an estimated 1,653,610 Ohioans were food insecure in 2022. As illustrated above, there is a large racial disparity in food access in Ohio. The 2024 Health Value Dashboard found that Ohio ranks in the bottom half of states and D.C. (34th) in food access and food insecurity.
 
Later this month, HPIO will release a new report on how new federal opportunities in the Medicaid program can be leveraged by state and local partners to support housing and nutrition services in Ohio.